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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bank — for money
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bank — of a river
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com